G'day to all and Happy Chinese New Year. I have just stepped off the bike after a test ride and it is running beautifully once it is off the pilot circuit I have had the cylinders honed and fitted new rings. The bike (a 1977 A1 KZ1000 with pods and V&H header)is really humming along on the needle and main jet but when I stop I have to use a lot of blipping of the throttle to keep her running. It has a 120 main jet and the needle has been raised one notch. The pilot jet is the stock 17.5, carbs have been cleaned and new O ring kit fitted, timing set correctly using timing light and the valve gap was adjusted yesterday all to within spec.
I am thinking about going to 120-122.5 with the pilots to see if I can get any improvement. The one variable besides raising the needle is to adjust the pilot screw. This is where my question comes in. After studying the Kawasaki workshop manual I am left wondering if any adjustment of the screw is actually altering the air/fuel mix. It seems to me that the air fuel mix has already been determined before the pilot screw and the screw just varies the amount of mixture it lets into the throat of the carb. If it were purely an air screw screwing in should lean the mixture and out should richen it and the inverse if it were a fuel screw. I wish I could figure out how to upload the drawing of the pilot circuit in my book on page 136 of my book. Any ideas or suggestions greatly appreciated, regards Neil
1977 KZ 1000 A1
Last edit: 08 Feb 2013 02:56 by 3cav84a. Reason: wrong spelling
Your carbs should the Mikuni VM26 so your pilot jet should be a 15 you say yours is 17.5 that is one step richer. Your pilot screw will make a difference on the idle try adjusting it. Clockwise will lean it out counter clockwise richens the mixure. Have you made sure the idle screw is adjusted properly or is it backed all the way out.
G'day baldy, according to my Kawasaki workshop manual the pilots should be 17.5, yes the idle screw is adjusted so that the tacho eads just over 1000 rpm at idle until it dies on me, thanks for the input.
